How to add or remove icons in Windows Control Panel

The Control Panel is one of the most important parts of your Microsoft Windows system. If you’d like to customize which icons appear in your Control Panel, continue reading for suggested methods.

If you’re running Windows ME, XP or later, we recommend that you do not customize your Control Panel icons. Instead, we suggest that Control Panel be configured to show icons in Classic View, see: Unable to find icons in Windows Control Panel.

TweakUI

Microsoft Windows XP and later revisions of Windows users can enable and remove Control Panel icons with the TweakUI program.

After TweakUI has been installed, check and uncheck the icons you want or do not want to display in the Windows Control Panel under the Control Panel section.

Adding Control Panel icons

Users can add a Windows Control Panel icon by installing the software program or hardware device related to the icon. If doing this does not install an icon into the Windows Control Panel that is either listed in the below chart or has been present in the past, follow the steps below.

1. Reinstall the software program or hardware device associated with the program. During reinstallation, the necessary .CPL file is copied back onto the computer.
2. Manually copy, expand, and extract the .cpl file back into the Windows System or System 32 directory.

Unless your software program or hardware device has a .cpl file associated with it, the program will not create an icon in your Control Panel.

Manually running a Windows Control Panel .cpl file

If you are unfamiliar with what each .CPL file does, try one of the following suggestions.

1. Manually execute many of the .CPL files by typing control .cpl. See the control command page for additional information and help with this command.
2. Users can also use the rundll32 file to open the Control Panel icons. Below is an example of how a user would open the Date/Time Properties window using the rundll32 file. If you want to run an alternate .cpl file, replace the TimeDate.cpl with a different .cpl file.

Hiding Control Panel icons

If you want to hide an icon from being displayed in the Control Panel, you can delete or move the icon as explained in the steps below or hide the icon by editing the control.ini file.

Removing Control Panel icons

Using the Microsoft find utility, users can locate all .cpl files on their computer.

Once all the .cpl files have been found, locate the file associated with your icon and delete the file or move it to an alternate location.

Files associated with Control Panel icons

Below is a small chart of the available files and their associated Control Panel icons. Note that not all of the files or icons below are available in all versions of Microsoft Windows. They may be missing because the associated hardware device, software program, or other setting is not installed. Icons that have an asterisk in the availability section indicate that third-party software must be installed before the icon is displayed.

Control Panel Icon	Associated file	95/98/ME	NT	2000/XP	Vista/7/8
AC3 Filter	ac3filter.cpl	‌	‌	*	‌
Yes	Yes	Yes	‌
Add/Remove Hardware	hdwwiz.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Adobe Gamma	adobe gamma.cpl	*	*	*	‌
Automatic Updates	wuaucpl.cpl	‌	‌	Yes	‌
Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fax	fax.cpl	Yes	Yes	‌
Yes	Yes
Firewall	firewall.cpl	‌	‌	Yes	Yes
Yes	Yes	Yes	‌
Infrared Settings properties	irprops.cpl	Yes	‌
Java Control Panel	jpicpl32.cpl	*	‌
Java plug-in x.x.x — This icon and its associated file changes by version.	plugincplx_x.cpl	*	*	*	*
Joystick Properties or Game Controllers.	joy.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes
Microsoft Mail Post Office	wgpocpl.cpl	Yes
Yes	Yes
Multimedia / Sounds	mmsys.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Network Connections properties	ncpa.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes
Network Properties	netcpl.cpl	Yes
Nview Desktop Manager	nvtuicpl.cpl	‌	*
ODBC32	odbc32.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes	‌
Passwords	password.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes
PCCard	devapps.cpl	Yes
Ports	ports.cpl	Yes
Power Options properties	powercfg.cpl	Yes	Yes
QuickTime	quicktime.cpl	*	*	*	‌
Regional Settings	intl.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Scanners and Cameras	sticpl.cpl	‌	‌	Yes	‌
Security Center	wscui.cpl	‌	Yes	Yes
Services and Devices	srvmgr.cpl	Yes
SCSI Adapters	devapps.cpl	Yes
Server	srvmgr.cpl	Yes
Speech Properties	sapi.cpl	Yes	‌
System Properties	sysdm.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tape Devices	devapps.cpl	Yes
Telephony or Phone and Modem Options Properties.	telephon.cpl	Yes	Yes	Yes
TweakUI	tweakui.cpl	*	*	*	‌
UPS	ups.cpl	Yes
User Accounts properties	nusrmgr.cpl	Yes	‌
VirusScan	avsmcpa.cpl	*	*	*	*

Microsoft Windows stores information about each of the icons that are shown in the Control Panel in files with the .CPL extension. If these files are present and not corrupted, Microsoft Windows displays these icons, otherwise, these icons will not be visible. The Control Panel files can be in the C:\Windows\System, C:\Windows\System32, or C:\Winnt\system32 folders once new hardware or software is installed.

Change Control Panel Icon in Windows 10

Control Panel and Settings are two apps you can use in Windows 10 to change most of the settings available in the OS. Settings is a Universal app bundled with Windows 10. It is created to replace the classic Control Panel. As of this writing, the classic Control Panel still comes with a number of options and tools which are not available in Settings. In this article, we will see how to change its icon.

The Control Panel has a familiar user interface which many users prefer over the Settings app. You can use Administrative tools, manage user accounts on the computer in a flexible way, maintain data backups, change the functionality of hardware and many other things. You can pin Control Panel applets to the taskbar to access frequently used settings faster. Also, you can show only certain Control Panel applets or hide desired applets in Windows 10.

As you may already know, Windows 10 allows the user to change icons like This PC, Network, Recycle Bin and the user profile folder icon. There is a special dialog that you can use.

However, this dialog doesn’t provide any method to change the Control Panel icon. This can be done with a Registry tweak.

To change the Control Panel icon in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open the Registry Editor app.
2. Go to the following Registry key.

See how to go to a Registry key with one click.
If you don’t have the <26ee0668-a00a-44d7-9371-beb064c98683>subkey, then create both <26ee0668-a00a-44d7-9371-beb064c98683>and DefaultIcon subkeys manually.

On the right, double-click on the default (unnamed) string parameter. Set its value data to the full path to the *.ico file you want to use as your new Control Panel icon.

To make the changes done by the Registry tweak take effect, you need to sign out and sign in to your user account. Alternatively, you can restart the Explorer shell. If this doesn’t help, reset the icon cache.

Tip: Instead of an *.ico file, you can specify the path to a DLL file containing the icon and its icon resource number. The default value is %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-27 .

In my case, the result will be as follows.

Note: To change the icon in the Start menu and in the taskbar, change the icon for the Control Panel.lnk shortcut:

Copy the line above and paste it in the File Explorer’s address bar. Then modify the shortcut.

This will change the Control Panel icon for the current user.

Change the Control Panel icon for all users

If you need to change the Control Panel icon for all users, modify the unnamed value of the DefaultIcon subkey under the following branch.

Prerequirements

1. You must be signed in with an administrative account to continue.
2. Download the ExecTI freeware and start regedit.exe using it. This will open the Registry Editor app with the highest privilege level. Otherwise, you won’t be able to modify the mentioned Registry key.

After you have set the new icon in the Registry, sign out and sign in to your user account. Alternatively, you can restart the Explorer shell. If this doesn’t help, restart Windows 10 and then reset the icon cache.

Don’t forget to change the Start menu shortcut icon.

Everything above works in Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7.

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About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

3 thoughts on “ Change Control Panel Icon in Windows 10 ”

Hi Sergei,
is there any way to change Microsoft Edge icon (especially that one which is located in Start Program list) ? Is there similar way like for Control panel icon – using Registry Editor ?
Thank you for answer!

Works well! but is there any way to change the control panel icon that appears when you search start menu? I get the standard icon appear under the best match section.

Any idea how to change the text of the “Control Panel” desktop icon? I prefer short names (like “ControL”) but I can’t rename it.

Change Any Control Panel Item Icon in Windows 10 (Shell Folder)

Most of the Control Panel applets in modern Windows 10 versions are shell folders. Shell folders are ActiveX objects that implement a special virtual folder or a virtual applet. In some cases, they provide access to physical folders on your hard drive or even to special OS functionality like «Minimize all Windows» or the Alt+Tab switcher. You can easily customize them by changing the icon for any Shell Folder/Control Panel applet with a Registry tweak.

You can use Shell Folders in various scenarios, but in the general case you can use them to create a shortcut to a specific Control Panel applet or a Windows feature. For example, the following command will open the «Network Connections» folder:

Note: Press Win+R keys on your keyboard, copy the command above and paste it in the «Run» dialog.

The following command will open Control panel always in «Category» view:

And the following command will open Control Panel in icon-view, either small or large, that was set by the user the last time he opened it.

There are lots of interesting things there. You may already know the famous so called God Mode/All Tasks shell location.

Tip: You can use Winaero Tweaker to create a shortcut for any shell folder in Windows 10. It comes with the following option.

Use it to save your time.

Customize Icons for Shell Folders

To change the icon for a Shell folder, you need to open the corresponding Registry key in Registry Editor and edit the default value for the key

There you need to replace the portion with the appropriate CLSID value from the table below. For example, here are the steps for the Control Panel, which is also a virtual folder and is a Shell Folder.

To change the icon for a Control Panel item, do the following.

1. Sign in with an administrative account if your current user account is a standard user account with limited privileges.
2. Download the ExecTI freeware and start regedit.exe using it. This will open the Registry Editor app with the highest privilege level. Otherwise, you won’t be able to modify the mentioned Registry key.
3. Go to the following Registry key.
4. On the right, double-click on the default (unnamed) string parameter. Set its value data to the full path to the *.ico file you want to use as your new Control Panel icon.
5. To make the changes done by the Registry tweak take effect, you need to sign out and sign in to your user account. Alternatively, you can restart the Explorer shell. If this doesn’t help, reset the icon cache.

Tip: Instead of an *.ico file, you can specify the path to a DLL file containing the icon and its icon resource number. The default value is %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-27 . You can get something like this:

Here is the list of Shell Folders and Control Panel applets with their corresponding Registry keys.

The list of Shell Folders and Control Panel applets

Shell location	Registry key
ActiveX Cache Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Add Network Place	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Administrative Tools	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
All Control Panel Items	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
All Settings	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
All Tasks	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Applications	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
AppSuggestedLocations	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
AutoPlay	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Backup and Restore (Windows 7)	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
BitLocker Drive Encryption	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Bluetooth Devices	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Briefcase	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Cabinet Shell Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_AppInstanceFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_DBFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_DBFolderBoth	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_SearchHome	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_StartMenuCommandingProviderFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_StartMenuLauncherProviderFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_StartMenuPathCompleteProviderFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CLSID_StartMenuProviderFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Command Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Common Places FS Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
CompressedFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Connect To	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Control Panel	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Control Panel	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Credential Manager	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Default Programs	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
delegate folder that appears in Computer	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
delegate folder that appears in Users Files Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Desktop	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
DeviceCenter Initialization	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
DevicePairingFolder Initialization	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Devices and Printers	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Display	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
DLNA Content Directory Data Source	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
DXP	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Ease of Access Center	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
E-mail	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Enhanced Storage Data Source	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Explorer Browser Results Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Favorites	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
File Backup Index	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
File Explorer Options	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
File History	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
FileHistoryDataSource	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Folder Shortcut	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Font settings	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Fonts	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Frequent folders	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Fusion Cache	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Games	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Get Programs	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
History	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Homegroup	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
HomeGroup	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Homegroup	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
IE History and Feeds Shell Data Source for Windows Search	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
IE RSS Feeds Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Installed Updates	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Language	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
LayoutFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Libraries	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Libraries delegate folder that appears in Users Files Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Library Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Location Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Manage Wireless Networks	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Media Servers	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Microsoft FTP Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Microsoft Office Outlook	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
My Documents	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Network	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Network	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Network and Sharing Center	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Network Connections	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Network Connections	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Notification Area Icons	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Offline Files	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Offline Files Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
OneDrive	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Personalization	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Pictures	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Portable Devices	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Power Options	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Previous Versions	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Previous Versions Results Delegate Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Previous Versions Results Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Printers	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Printers	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
printhood delegate folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Programs and Features	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Public	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Recent folders	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Recent Items Instance Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Recovery	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Recycle Bin	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Removable Drives	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Removable Storage Devices	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Results Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Run.	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Search	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Search	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Search Connector Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Security and Maintenance	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Set Program Access and Computer Defaults	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Shell DocObject Viewer	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Shell File System Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Shell File System Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Show desktop	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Speech Recognition	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Start Menu	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Storage Spaces	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
StreamBackedFolder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Subscription Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Switch between windows	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Sync Center	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Sync Center Conflict Delegate Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Sync Center Conflict Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Sync Results Delegate Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Sync Results Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Sync Setup Delegate Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Sync Setup Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
System	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
System Restore	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Taskbar and Navigation	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Temporary Internet Files	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Temporary Internet Files	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
The Internet	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
This Device	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
This PC	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
This PC	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Troubleshooting	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
User Accounts	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
User Accounts	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
User Pinned	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
UsersFiles	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Windows Defender	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Windows Features	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Windows Firewall	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Windows Mobility Center	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Windows Security	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
Work Folders	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
WWan Shell Folder	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\

Note: For some applets, Windows 10 has Start menu shortcuts. E.g. the classic Control Panel has the following shortcut in the Start menu:

You might to customize them too to get the consistent look of the OS.

Also, most of the applets can be customized for the current user.

Customize Applets and Shell Folders for the current user only

1. Open the Registry Editor app.
2. Go to the following Registry key.
3. Here, create a new subkey using the appropriate CLSID as the subkey name, e.g. for the Control Panel.
4. Under your subkey, create a new subkey named DefaultIcon. You will get the Registry path like this:
5. On the right, double-click on the default (unnamed) string parameter. Set its value data to the full path to the *.ico file you want to use as your new icon for the Shell Folder or applet.

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